J. C. life ladder

ABSTRACT

A pivotable type ladder assembly intended primarily as a life saving device for persons who accidentally fall into the water adjacent to the marine structure of a yacht basin or small boat marina. The ladder having two parallel side rails, with upper and lower ends, joined at appropriate intervals by a plurality of perpendicular cross-members, or treads, the bottom most of which is ballasted. The ladder is connected, pivotably; to a mounting bracket suitable for attachment to a marina walkway or docking structure. The bracket having a pivot pin which articulates with a pivot hole positioned in the upper one-third of the ladder and having also at its lower extremity a cross-member to support the ladder while it is in the vertical, deployed position and to prevent side-to-side movement while the ladder is in use. The ladder assembly, including also a stowage cleat positioned so as to support the ballasted lower end of the ladder out of the water at an elevation substantially equal to that of the upper, pivoting end, thus maintaining the ladder in a horizontal position, essentially flat against the side skirt of the marina docking or walkway structure. The ladder being easily dislodged from the cleat is brought by ballast action, automatically, to a secure vertical deployment. Having served its purpose, the ladder may then be rotated easily back onto the stowage cleat.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to ladders usable as lifesaving equipment forpersons who fall into the water from marine structures peculiar to yachtbasins or small boat marinas, namely floating docks, walkways, and boatslips.

BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The surface decking of slips, docks, and walkways typical of marinas isgenerally no more than 15 to 20 inches above the water upon which theyfloat. That spatial relationship, unaffected by tides, remains fairlyconstant and this tends to reenforce the general perception of marinasas safe havens. Consequently, few life-saving devices are to be found inmarinas. For many marina occupants, however, the safe haven can, andhas, become a death trap. Young adults in good health with good upperbody strength can easily manage an unassisted escape from the water. Thetypical marina occupant, however, is an older person less physically fitwith, perhaps, a child or a grandchild. Such persons are at risk ofdrowning should they fall into the water and there is no ladderavailable to them. Absent timely assistance from someone, such personsare in extreme danger of drowning.

Although data are difficult to generate it is beyond doubt that suchdrownings do occur. The present invention, in fact, was inspired by justsuch a drowning death on Dec. 24, 1999. The physical evidence at thescene of said drowning made it very clear that the victim had died forlack of a ladder.

The prior art of marine ladders useable as lifesaving equipment forpersons who fall into the water are of two basic types: rigid laddersrigidly attached to marine structures, and stowable ladders designed forattachment to boats.

Of the said rigid ladders, most prior art has focused on the problems oflarge ship-berthing structures which may rise to considerable heightsabove water level. Several prior art patents combine water exit ladderswith fender functions to protect ships' hulls from damage and totransport people between smaller boats, or the water, and elevated docksor quays. Japanese patent no. 55-19383 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,494,474 and4,267,792 combine said ladder and fender functions. The prior art ofsuch large-scale structures appears to have no practical application tosuch marine structures as are typical of yacht basins and marinas.

Usage in marinas and yacht basins has, for the most part, been to ignorethe problem entirely or to rely upon rigid ladders, rigidly attached toselected locations to facilitate escape from the water. Such laddersnecessarily remain partially submerged and thus, especially in saltwater, become fouled with marine growth which, without periodicmaintenance may render them inconvenient, or even unsafe, to use. In thenature of things such periodic maintenance seldom gets done and rigidlyfixed ladders of whatever material will almost certainly become a homefor a host of sharp-edged and slimy sea growth and, consequently, ofmarginal reliability as a life ladder.

Of the several marine-type ladders designed for installation on boats,most must be deployed by a person in the boat and are not accessible toa person in the water until they have been so deployed. Such devices aredisclosed in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,813,514; 4,768,618; 4,724,925; and5,117,940.

An exception to the above listed patents is U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,744,which discloses a potentially lifesaving ladder which stows under thedecking of a pontoon boat and may be deployed, without assistance, by aperson in the water. However, there seems no practical way to installthe pontoon boat ladder on the structures appurtenant to the typicalyacht basin or small boat marina.

Moreover, ladders which are appurtenant to boats which may or may not bein their slips are not a reliable substitute for safety devicesinstalled as permanent fixtures of the marina environment.

The only prior art patent that is clearly relevant to conditionspeculiar to marinas and yacht basins is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,365,689 filed on behalf of one Francis Dever in February of 1981. Saidpatent is for a tiltable, portable, pivotable ladder that stowshorizontally above the water and may be easily deployed to a verticalposition, and is intended to provide the means for unassisted escapefrom the water to the surface of a marine structure such as a floatingdock. Moreover, the device is ballasted so that it will, automatically,return after use to a dry, horizontal stowage position.

It is clear that the Dever invention was aimed at the same problem asthat which has inspired the present invention, namely that it is verydifficult for persons in the water to escape, unassisted, from the waterto the safety of even a relatively low-lying floating dock. Moreover,like the present invention, the Dever ladder stows horizontally out ofthe water so as to avoid fouling by marine growth, utilizes pivot meansto go from stowed, horizontal position to deployed, vertical position;is ballasted; and is deployable from the water by a person unassisted.In all of that, the Dever ladder resembles the present invention. Theresemblance, however, is more apparent than real and infinitely lesssignificant than the differences which distinguish it from the presentinvention. The contrast here is between a workable concept and one whichis essentially unworkable. The Denver device is dominated byconsiderations of portability and automatic function and by pivot meanswhich have an axis that is parallel to the ladder's treads and thusrequire the ladder to pivot teeter-totter style on the edge of anystructure to which it may be attached.

In consequence of said pivot means, the ladder, when in its stowedposition, lies with its upper portion flat on the surface of thestructure to which it is attached, a hazard to foot traffic; its lowerportion protrudes outward over the water, a hazard to boating operationsand possibly even swimming traffic.

The pursuit of portability and automatic function, for their part, haveresulted in a light-weight ladder device, delicately balanced by meansof metal washers serving as the ballast needed to move the ladder fromstowage to deployment and back again with very little human involvement.The whole is attachable, ostensibly, by a pair of struts which attach atone end to said pivot means and at the other end are fitted with L-boltssituated so as to grip the edge of the deck planking of a floating dock,secured there by the tightening of wing nuts threaded onto the upper legof said L-bolt.

The resulting attachment is so inadequate as to border on the whimsical.The weight of even a small child in swim wear, applied to the ladder,suspended as it is from the pivot means at the outer ends of saidstruts, would almost certainly peel the L-bolt clamping means away fromthe dock structure and render the ladder useless.

Another consequence of the Dever quest for portability and automaticfunction is a ladder designed to be relatively small. Drawings ofpreferred embodiments disclose a ladder having only two treads below thepivot means. The bottom most of these would, therefore, be just at orjust below the water's surface. Persons seeking to climb onto a ladderstep so near to the water's surface would need to exert considerablestrength and ability to do so. For ease of access, the bottom tread of alife ladder should be submerged deeply enough upon deployment as topermit ease of access and require a minimum of physical prowess. This isa consideration of special urgency where the users of such a life ladderare likely to be aging adults and may be wearing water-soaked winterclothing.

Unfortunately, any attempt to lengthen the bottom portion of the Deverladder would, first of all, be pointless without a more secureattachment means; and secondly, such lengthening would only exacerbatethe hazardous condition created by the protruding lower portions of thestored ladder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a life ladder suitablefor installation and service in a yacht basin or small boat marina.Accordingly, there is a ladder assembly consisting of three components:

1. A ladder, constructed substantially of wood, having two parallel siderails connected at suitable intervals by a plurality of perpendicularcross-members, or treads. The exact dimensions of the ladder will bedictated by conditions at the installation site but it will have anupper and a lower portion. Appurtenant to said upper portion is thefemale half of a single point pivot; appurtenant to said lower portionis a ballasted bottom tread. Said pivot and ballast step are bothconstructed of mild steel and are attached to the wood portions of theladder with stainless steel screws.

2. A mounting bracket constructed of mild steel and capable of secureattachment to the side skirt of a marina walkway or dock structure withlag bolts or other suitable fasteners and having appurtenant to it themale portion of a single-point pivot by which said ladder and bracketare joined, pivotably, together. Said bracket having also a cross-memberat its lower extremity fitted with guides and stops to receive, support,and stabilize the deployed ladder when in use.

3. A stowage cleat attached to the same side skirt as the laddermounting bracket so as to support the stowed lower end of the ladder atsubstantially the same elevation as the upper, pivoting end thereof,thus maintaining the stowed ladder in an essentially horizontal positionabove, and clear of, the water.

Thus installed, the ladder is an unobtrusive, conveniently accessible,and reliable means whereby an unassisted escape from the water can beachieved. Stowed on edge, as it were, the ladder lies flat against themarina structure's side skirt in a plane perpendicular to the water,parallel to the side skirt, and offering no obstacle or hazard to eitherfoot traffic or boating operations. The ladder is easily dislodged fromits stowage position by a person in the water. Once dislodged, ballastaction causes the ladder to rotate on its single-point pivot. Having anaxis perpendicular to the ladder's treads, the pivoting motion is thatof the pinwheel rather than the teeter-totter and brings the ladder to avertical position where it is supported and stabilized by the structureof the mounting bracket without further effort by the person in thewater.

Sturdily built and securely attached, the deployed ladder will have apair of convenient hand holds at its upper end and its ballasted bottomstep submerged sufficiently to permit easy access for a person in thewater and is well able to support the weight of a large adult dressed inwet winter clothing. Having served its purpose the ladder may be rotatedeasily back onto its stowage cleat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the drawings present theform thereof which is presently preferred. It is to be understood,however, that installation sites are far from uniform and may wellrequire variations of said form, all and any of which shall be withoutprejudice to the protections sought by this submission.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the ladder with its ballast step and femalepivot plate.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the tapered top end of the side rails.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the ladder mounting bracket;

FIG. 4, a side view, shows function of stand-off cross-arm in relievingthe severity of a purely vertical climb angle.

FIG. 5 presents the ladder mounted and deployed for use;

FIG. 6 shows the ladder mounted and in its stowed position.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the installed mounting bracket from aboveand to the right.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

10. Side rails

12. Cross-member-treads

14. Pivot plate-female

16. Ballast steps

18. Pivot hole

20. Taper hand holds

22. Top mounting flange

24. Pivot plate-male

26. Pivot pin

28. Support frame

30. Stand-off cross-member

32. Ladder support cross-member

34. Ladder support kicker/stop

36. Ladder support stop

38. Lag bolt/fastener

40. Stowage cleat

42. Side skirt of floating dock

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings in which all like parts are identified by likereference numbers, the marine life ladder of this invention ispresented. The ladder has two parallel side rails 10, tapered forconvenient hand holds at their top end 20. Side rails and the uppermostfour treads 12 are made of construction lumber milled to 1¼″ by 2½″. Afifth tread 16 is made of steel for its ballast value. Referred to asthe ballast step it is attached to the lower end of the side rails 10with stainless steel screws. Also attached by stainless steel screws tothe back of the ladder and just below the top tread is a steel plate 14drilled at low center with a one-half inch hole 18. Said hole comprisesthe female half of a single point pivot.

The male portion of said pivot 24 and 26 is an integral part of theladder mounting bracket. When married to the female portion 14 and 18 asingle-point pivot is formed which connects the ladder to the laddermounting bracket and provides the means whereby the ladder may easily berotated back and forth between stowage and deployment. The laddermounting bracket is a welded all metal structure with vertical andhorizontal support members 28; an upper mounting flange 22; a stand-offcross-member 30; and a ladder support cross-member 32 equipped with astop 36 at one end and a pair of flanges, referred to as the kicker 34at the other end. The structure is attached by lag bolts 38 to the sideskirt of a floating marina dock or walkway 42. The stand-offcross-member 30 serves to push the lower portion of the ladder mountingbracket outward from the vertical face of the side skirt 42 and thusprovides a more convenient climbing angle to the deployed ladder.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the installed ladder in both its stowed and deployedpositions. It should be noted that in this preferred embodiment thestowed ladder is maintained horizontally above, and clear of, the waterand the deployed ladder has approximately half of its five foot lengthsubmerged. This arrangement protects the ladder from becoming fouled bymarine growth while stowed and puts the deployed bottom ballast step 16deep enough to provide easy access for a person in the water.

It should be noted also that the tapered hand holds 20 of the deployedladder rise far enough above the dock's surface to facilitate aclimber's access to the safety of the dock. Also, said hand holdsprovide the leverage needed to easily rotate the deployed ladder back toits stowed position without risk of returning accidentally to the water.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting bracket support assembly adapted to berigidly attached to a floating dock having a side surface and a topsurface and to which a ladder of appropriate size and strength may beattached pivotally, said assembly comprising an essentially rectangularsupport frame having two parallel vertical members joined at upper endsthereof by a cross-member coplanar therewith and at lower ends by asecond cross-member which is attached to a front surface of saidvertical members and extends horizontally beyond said vertical membersat both ends whereto are attached stop flanges so as to engage saidladder when deployed for use, and a third cross-member attached to arear surface of said vertical members, attachable to the side surfaceand positioned to move the lower end of said support frame away from theside surface, and an upwardly extending hanger plate attached centrallyto a rear surface of said first cross-member, said hanger plate beingattachable to the top surface whereby said assembly may be attached tothe top and side surfaces of said dock, said assembly having also apivotable ladder attachment comprised of first and second pivot plates,the first plate being attachable to an upper portion of said supportframe, the second plate adapted to engage both side rails and at leastone rung of said ladder, said plates when joined together by a pivot pinconstituting a single pivot point whereby said ladder may be rotatedbetween stowed and deployed positions.